Railroad



D. B. AKERS Nov. 6, 1934.

RAILROAD Filed June 30, 1932 Patented Nov. 6, 1934 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

My invention concerns the construction of railroad tracks and in making my invention, I have had in View the very important considerations of eliminating danger of wrecks from derailment of trains, due to faulty track construction with costly losses from injury to or destruction of road-bed and rolling stock and death or injury to persons; comfort of passengers or those riding on trains; economy of maintenance, both 0 of road-bed and rolling stock and increase of speed without loss or at the expense of comfort and safety to property and persons.

My invention consists in whatever is described by or is included within the terms or scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing: i

Fig, 1 is a top plan view of enough of a roadbed to illustrate an embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; v

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of adjacent end portions of adjoining rails and a portion of the bed or base plate shown separate for better illustration.

The rails 10, which I use in building a roadbed, in accordance with my invention, may as to cross-section, be of conventional or standard form, but instead of flat ends for the rails to make the joints, I provide for a laterally interlocking 0 construction of rail ends at each joint by provid- "ing what, in effect, is a V-shaped projection on one rail end and a matching V-shape notch or recess in the end of the adjoining rail, which formation is produced by opposite flat vertical converging surfaces which extend from top to bottom of the rail, each surface in the same vertical plane, so that downward thrust or pressure under load of a train will be transmitted directly from the top of the ball of the rail to the tie surface at the bottom. Thus there are present no "horizontal ledge or shelf-like surfaces on the abutting rail ends lying one upon the other, which under vertical movement, pound or hammer against one another, resulting in noise from con- -tact of metal with metal and wear and danger of "breakage. Laterally one adjoining rail end is supported by the other, so that side-wise movement of adjoining rail ends, under the lateral pressure of the wheel flanges, cannot take place and in that respect the rail construction is as solid "and strong as if the track consisted of continuous rails, instead of rail sections or lengths.

I preferably locate the joints in the rails of the same track opposite one another, or in transverse alinement so that if the road-bed in other reverse members 12, that extend between the two spects should have a construction which might result in a low or depressed joint, the opposite joints would be alike in that respect, to the advantage both of the road-bed and rolling stock and passengers. 6%

The rails preferably do not rest directly upon the wood ties but upon metal plates applied to the tops of the ties and at the joints. These plates are in the form of a one-piece or unit construction of the nature of an open frame that consists of two longitudinally extending members, 11, parallel with one another and of a length to reach over the distance of three ties equally on opposite sides of the rail joint and three transside members 11, and are spaced apart so that they rest upon the tops of three ties. At the inner edge of each member 11, at each of the ties, is a hook-shape chair 13, that has a vertical side against which the inner edge of the rail base bears and which overlaps the top of the rail base, and thereby the rail under lateral outward thrust of a passing wheel flange, is rigidly restrained from any outward turning movement, and as on the outer side of the rail base, it engages a vertical rib 14 on each cross-member 12, it will be seen that the rail regardless of spikes or other fastening means, is rigidly held in place and danger of derailment by spreading rails or overturning rails is eliminated. Preferably, the outer flange of the rail base is secured by lag screws 15, to the tie which pass each through a hole that is drilled or provided in the rail base and an alining hole that is drilled through the plate member 12, and into an alining hole bored in the tie and preferably going clear through for the purpose of allowing the escape of any water or moisture finding its way into the hole that might result in rotting the tie. I use screws rather than spikes because it diminishes injury to the ties from the rail securing means and thus prolongs the useful life of the ties. Preferably, some form of locking device is employed with or as a part of the lag screws so that vibration will not loosen them.

It will be seen that since I provide a metal support of extended area for the bottom of the rails at the joints, the likelihood of low joints is eliminated and the bearing for the rail ends at the joints is a solid metal bearing or support.

With the frame construction composed of the longitudinal and cross members 11 and 12, it will be seen that opposite rails are rigidly tied together and stresses from passing trains tending to twist and distort and displace the road-bed are no resisted and absorbed by their transmission from one member of the frame to another or other members thereof.

The fish plates 16 that I preferably employ to bolt the rail ends together at the joints are dished or longitudinally recessed on their sides next the web of the rail so that they have contact therewith only at top and bottom, this resulting in a degree of elasticity in the fish plates under the clamping pressure of the cross bolts 17 as well as diminishing the quantity of metal required for the fish plates. A suitable locking device is provided for the bolts and nuts which preferably is in the form of a plurality of radially spaced apart ribs or teeth 18, with sharp edges as on the side of the nut lying againstthefish plate, which sharply bite therein, due to the fact that they are of harder metal, or a plain nut may be employed with a lock Washer or ring having similar but oppositely placed ribs that bite respectively, into the adjoining face of thenut'and the adjoining surface of the fish plate or other part of the structure having nuts .or belts. or screws, important to be lockedagainst rotation.

The sharp edge ribs or teeth act ratchet-like in interlocking with the surface intowhich they bite. r

If desired, themetal frame-like base composed of the members 11 and 12, with the rail seats or chairs, may be placed upon other ties thanthose at the rail joints and such a'base consisting of a single member, may be applied, to individual ties. i

It is obvious that by reason of the interlocking of the rail ends and the engagement of their bases by the seats or chairs on the tie plates, that even though the fish plate bolts shouldbe loose, spreading or over-turning of rails is safeguarded against. Y 'It will be understood'witho'utthe necessity for illustrating it, that the construction embodying one cross-tie to another, and transverse members integral with said longitudinal members, and rail seats including chairs that hook over the rail a base at the inner edge thereof and means engaging the rail base on the outer side that hold it in from movement away from the chairs.

3. A railroad track equipment comprising crossties, rails, a metal plate comprising longitudinal members lying under the rails and reaching from one cross-tie to another, and transverse members integral with said longitudinal members, andrail seats including chairs that hook over the rail base at the inner edge thereof and means engaging the rail base on the outer side that hold it infrom movement away from the chairs and comprising screws passing through the rail base flange into the 'ties.

4. A railroad track equipment comprising crossties, rails and a metal plate comprising longitudinal memberslying under the rails, and reaching from one cross-tie to another and transverse members integral with said longitudinal members, the rails having joints where they lie on the longitudinal members formed by complementary converging inclined surfaces on the respective rail ends that extend each in the same vertical plane from top to bottom of the rail.

DANIEL BOONE AKERS. 

